Very happy to announce that my novel Dark as Night is being published by the good people at Down and Out books! It's available now for pre-order, released in February. https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/conard-dark-night/
Nietzsche and the Philosophers
I'm very pleased to announce the release of my anthology, Nietzsche and the Philosophers. It's a collection of essays devoted to Nietzsche's relationship to other great thinkers in the history of philosophy, figures such as Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Kant, Hume, Emerson, and Rousseau. I was lucky enough to recruit some of the most important scholars … Continue reading Nietzsche and the Philosophers
Trump is God (but not in a good way)
“I think there are two Donald Trumps.” (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016) “I don’t think there are two Donald Trumps. I think there’s one Donald Trump.” (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016) In a recent posting of “The Stone,” a column devoted to philosophical issues in The New York Times, Michael P. Lynch well-notes … Continue reading Trump is God (but not in a good way)
On The Death of David Bowie, or: The Gods of Our Youth
The recent death of David Bowie struck me rather hard. It’s not that I was the biggest fan. Don’t get me wrong, I loved his music. I’ve cherished The Ziggy Stardust album, for example, for decades. But I never saw him in concert. Sadly, a week before he died I signed up for updates on … Continue reading On The Death of David Bowie, or: The Gods of Our Youth
The World of Raymond Chandler: in His Own Words, edited by Barry Day: A Review
Raymond Chandler was one of the greatest classic noir writers. He wrote The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, The Lady in the Lake, and The Long Goodbye, amongst others. Even if you’ve never read any of his work, you likely recognize at least some of those titles, since each one of them has been made … Continue reading The World of Raymond Chandler: in His Own Words, edited by Barry Day: A Review
On South Carolina, Forgiveness, and Dostoevsky
There's a heartfelt essay in today's New York Times entitled "Why I Can't Forgive Dylann Roof" by Roxane Gay. This follows from the very emotional scenes when the family members of the murdered South Carolina church-goers confronted the monster who killed their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and by-and-large forgave him for his unforgivable deeds. Gay … Continue reading On South Carolina, Forgiveness, and Dostoevsky
Narratives and Our Ways of Knowing Part II: The Middle Ages
I posted this several months ago. It’s the second in a series that I still mean to complete. So stay tuned.
The question of knowledge is a very old problem, going back to the ancients. What we can know about the world, and how we know it, is a huge puzzle. Now, we all love to tell stories, to tell people about things that have happened to us—or even stuff that happened to others, if it makes for a good tale. More than that, story-telling seems to be hardwired in us. We have a deep need to construct narratives to make sense out of the world and our lives. So not only do we try to convey what we think we know through our stories, but those stories also reflect the issues and problems regarding our ways of knowing.
I’m going to write a series of posts concerning the history of story-telling and our problems concerning the ways of knowing. I’ll move from Plato to Medieval Christianity, then to Descartes and…
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Narratives and Our Ways of Knowing Part I: Plato’s Dialogues
I posted this several months ago. It’s the first in a series that I still mean to complete. So stay tuned.
Narratives and Our Ways of Knowing Part I: Plato’s Dialogues
The question of knowledge is a very old problem, going back to the ancients. What we can know about the world, and how we know it, is a huge puzzle. Now, we all love to tell stories, to tell people about things that have happened to us—or even stuff that happened to others, if it makes for a good tale. More than that, story-telling seems to be hardwired in us. We have a deep need to construct narratives to make sense out of the world and our lives. So not only do we try to convey what we think we know through our stories, but those stories also reflect the issues and problems regarding our ways of knowing.
I’m going to write a series of posts concerning the history of story-telling and our problems concerning the ways of knowing. I’ll…
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The Wisdom of the Ages Updated
Recently I posted on Twitter what I called “The Wisdom of the Ages updated for the 21st Century,” for Friday Phrases (#FP). These are philosophical quotations that I slightly altered to reflect contemporary thinking and culture. Immediately below are the updated quotes, and then below that you’ll find the original quotes with some discussion about … Continue reading The Wisdom of the Ages Updated
A Frank Koenig Story: “The Stolen Car”
A Frank Koenig short from a few months ago. Hope you enjoy it.
Frank’s partner, Carl Gibson, had a large waistband and chubby cheeks, with his hair cut into a dirty blond flattop. He wore a cheap Sears and Roebuck suit with a white shirt and a chocolate striped tie. He always smelled of Aqua Velva.
Carl sat behind the wheel of his new De Soto, a pale green De Luxe Business Coupe, and Frank occupied the passenger’s seat, staring out the window.
He and Frank hadn’t been partners long. They worked out of the Major Case Squad and had caught a call that morning.
“Did you check out the name of the lady filing the complaint?” said Carl as he drove.
Frank shook his head.
“Didn’t you wonder why we’re handling a stolen car? Does that sound like a major case to you? Sure doesn’t to me. Should be uniforms handling it, but they’re not. They kicked it up to us.”
Frank…
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Mark T. Conard 